“You are. But I’m here, and I’m perfectly capable of taking out a pooka. It would be a good experience for you.” A beat passed as his lips curled into a devious smile. “Or are you too afraid to face thebeast?”
“I’m not too afraid.” The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them. Truthfully, I wanted to say no and stay here in my safe little tower out of harm’s way. Yes, Ididwant to learn how to fight. Eventually. But I was all too aware what had happened when I’d tried to shoot an arrow at a fake target. I didn’t want to know what would happen when I tried to take on a real creature, one that sounded pretty freakingterrifying.
“Then, shall I show you how it’s done? It might give you an edge, one you’re going toneed.”
My heart thumped. I could read between the lines on that one. I’d screwed up with the bow and arrow, and this was my chance to get some important one-on-one training before classes started. I might have failed the challenge, but maybe this would keep me from failing thenext.
“Okay,” I said in a smallvoice.
His laugh only added to my terror. “Good. Then followme.”
Chapter Eleven
The forest lookeddifferent at night than it did in the day. The bright green trees had transformed into dark and twisting vines that choked out the sky above, and a heavy fog drifted through the undercurrent of leaves. Gone were the sparkling lights and the singsong of the birds. In its place, darkness hadcome.
Twigs snapped underneath my boots as I followed Rourke deeper into the woods. He’d been quiet since we’d left the watch tower, and I couldn’t stop staring at the muscles in his back, and at the way he held his sword as if it were merely an extension of hisarm.
Yep, he had a sword. For some reason, that unnerved me evenmore.
“Are you really sure we should be tracking this thing down by ourselves?” I whispered, trying my best to keep my voice as low as possible. I didn’t want that pooka creature to hear us coming. I distinctly remembered Rourke saying it liked todevourits prey. Much like the Redcaps I’dencountered.
“Shh,” he said sharply. “Just follow me. Don’t say or doanything.”
Right. Because I was really only here to watch and learn. As far as Rourke was concerned, I was a useless girl who had failed her first challenge. One who needed to be dragged into a forest so she could stand by helpless while he took care of the pooka. Not that I could blame him. I’d really sucked with the bow andarrow.
Suddenly, he stopped short and held up his hand. He jerked his chin over his shoulder, and his glittering eyes met mine. He pointed at a spot just to my right. When I turned, there it was, lurking between two thick tree trunks, the color of its skin melting into the forestsurroundings.
And it was staring straight at me with a pair of bright red eyes that were the color of blood. I swallowed hard, my heart trembling beneath myribcage.
“What do we have here?” it asked in a hiss. “A girl who dreams of returning home. A girl who doesn’t belong here. Well, then this is your lucky day, my dear. Take a ride with me, and I can return you to your nativelands.”
Swallowing hard, I glanced at Rourke, but he’d disappeared from my side. Heart shaking in my chest, I swung my head left and right, desperation and fear rising up from deep within my bones. Where had he gone? Had he left me here to face the creature by myself? Surely he wouldn’t. He was one of my instructors. He was tasked with keeping mesafe.
My heart thumpedhard.
Or washe?
He’d seemed chilly to me from day one. Maybe he didn’t want me around. Maybe this was his way of disposing of me quickly and easily, without any witnesses. I didn’t know these fae. How could I be certain they were trustworthy? I’d gone along with this whole thing without question. And maybe, just maybe, I’d only been walking straight into atrap.
The pooka’s sharp grin widened, and it scuttled forward. I yelped and jumpedback.
“What do you say then, Norah of Manhattan?” it hissed. “Shall I return you to yourrealm?”
As it took another step closer to me, I bent my knees in preparation to run, but before I could whirl from the creature, another dark form lunged from the depths of the forest. It all happened so quickly, and the shadows around me blurred at an impossible speed. One moment, the creature was before me, extending its hand toward mine. The next, a sword protruded from its neck, and a waxy blood dripped down onto the forestfloor.
Rourke yanked his sword from the pooka and wiped the blade across a cloth he pulled from the depths of his golden-hued cloak. “And that’s how it’sdone.”
My heart hammered as I stared up at him open-mouthed. “You just left me out here with the pooka. It could have attacked me while you were lurking around in thebushes.”
“No, he was trying to lure you away from here,” he said with a quick shake of his head. “He would have attacked me if I’d stayed near you, so I had to let him get distracted by your newness. He sensed your heart isn’t trulyhere.”
“So, you left me out here by myself to avoid getting attacked,” I said, narrowing myeyes.
“No.” A pause. “It’s next to impossible to kill the pooka when faced head on. They need to be distracted long enough to sneak up on them from behind. It’s the easiest way to get in a killing blow without things gettingmessy.”
Realization dawned, and I had the sudden urge to show the fae what a messy fight could really look like. “You used me as bait. This wasn’t about giving me a demonstration on how to kill a pooka. It was about making your life easier on you.” I shook my head and took a step back away from him. “I can’t believe it. I actually believed you were trying to give me some training. I’m anidiot.”
His smile was pure ice with a hint of that fae mischief I was beginning to really despise. “Two birds with one stone. I needed someone the pooka would be interested in, and you needed to learn how to approachone.”
